Peregrine Parenting

 

This post is a divergence from family history, but it is a story of parenting as well. A pair of Peregrine Falcons nested this year on the 9th floor of the hospital where I work. Their four chicks are about 10 weeks old now and they fledged from the nest this week. Males are approximately 25% smaller than females so they tend to fly sooner due to their lighter weight. I have not seen the birds during my shifts as I work on the 6th floor and do not have access to the 9th floor, which is our laboratory. 

I had today off and headed to the hospital early as the sun position is ideal for pictures in the morning. The first bird I saw was one of the adults perched on the large cross at the top of the building. The birds have a wingspan of about one metre, which is about half that of a Bald Eagle's span. They are a good sized bird but it still took time to find them on the face of the building. A volunteer from the Canadian Peregrine Foundation was there and she helped me locate the six birds. 

She pointed out the adult female perched on the left near one of the fledglings who was resting on a ledge below her. Apparently she had delivered a seagull for breakfast before I arrived.

This fledgling on the left did not move during the hour I was there. The construction that was happening at the front of the hospital has been put on hold for now which is why the building looks a little shabby. 

The adult male was high on the antenna above the "H" sign with another of the fledglings. This was the only youngster who had ventured away from the main building so far this morning. It is looking upward but it did not leave the perch while I was there. 

Every so often, the adult would circle above the hospital, calling to the fledgling and encouraging it to fly. 

Two fledglings had flown up one level and were on the right side of the building. One of them decided to seek out its mother and rather than flying, it noisily walked across the entire 9th floor ledge to the area where its sibling was resting on the left. The birds are very vocal and it is a wonder that I have not heard them inside this week. A neighbour told me they are active and calling from 5:30 am to 9:30 pm. Each young bird has a unique tag so the volunteers know who is who. I believe this was Discovery. 

Volunteers from the Canadian Peregrine Foundation closely monitor the birds from early morning until dark. They have had to rescue three fledglings this week. One fell on the road, another in a flower bed, and one got stuck in a window near the dome of the chapel in the centre of the hospital building. The young birds are not strong enough to lift off from the ground at this time. They can only fly from a significant height, and it is a high risk but essential exercise.

The volunteers are very knowlegeable and said that the survival rate for young peregrines in their first year is about 20-25%. They are working hard to improve those odds. The fledglings should be flying well by the end of the month and the volunteer vigil will end. The birds are expected to stay in the area for the rest of the summer while the parents help them improve their hunting skills. I do hope the Care, Faith, Compassion, Discovery manage to survive inspite of the unlikely odds.